Re: Amusing, yet scary...

Originally Posted by compliance

This news is really bringing out the worst in our hobby today. Between here and the blogs that have been posting about it there's been nothing but contempt and snark for Parker. As much fun as it is to poke holes in his reviews, and yes he should have researched and got his facts straight, I'm going to welcome him and those he brings with. I didn't know crap when I started drinking bourbon either. If he turns some people onto bourbon and they find something they like because of it that's great news. It's not a secret society any more. The critical mass of public awareness has already passed and this was only a matter of time. We should get ready to welcome some new members.

I also welcome people being misinformed about bourbon. Why should they taste it and make their own opinions when they can just read about it. Sometimes when I don't have time to take a ski vacation, I just read skiing magazines. Its just as exhilarating.

Re: Amusing, yet scary...

Parker stepped in it. It's irritating that he wouldn't spend a bit more energy getting it right. Perhaps he still views whisky drinkers as second-class to wine drinkers and therefore does not warrant a more careful review, or maybe it's just arrogance. Either way, though, I think the PR and infusion of new drinkers will only benefit the bourbon ecosystem in the long run.

Re: Amusing, yet scary...

This news is really bringing out the worst in our hobby today.... yes he should have researched and got his facts straight, I'm going to welcome him and those he brings with.

I can see both sides of this, but one of the problems here is the type of people he brings with him and the misinformation they will bring courtesy of his article. If the scotch&icecream rebuttal is correct in that Parker's readers take him at gospel, then HighHorse is right, he owe's his readers an apology. We're already competing with other bourbon lovers for limited supply items enough as it is, we don't need additional competition from people who will be storing their bourbon horizontally in their wine cellar as an investment. Lots of mention of the appearance of the bottle itself and 'image' which I will admit is part of it, but for someone who drinks the stuff inside, taste is what matters most, not how it dresses up your wine cellar.

The review so littered with problems, its hard to know where to start. Another example: "High West Whiskey Campfire I threw this in because this distillery in, of all places, Park City, Utah (better known for skiing than high quality spirits), is apparently a fascinating operation. They make a pre-blended Manhattan that is a killer, but the two whiskies I tried included their least expensive, Campfire....Just about everything I have tasted from High West in Park City, Utah is impressive. "

It is a facinating operation, too bad what you are drinking is not a product of that operation. As with many of the examples in his review, zero mention of the actual source of the product in the bottle. And Campfire is not the least expensive High West product, as if price was relevant in his article.

"Buffalo Trace Eagle Rare Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10-Years Old; 45% alcohol; 90 proof
..... has 45% alcohol, which makes it 90 proof." For the 13th bourbon on the list, I think we've figured out the whole proof thing by now, even without the redundency. But then there's "Buffalo Trace Distillery Experimental Collection 1993 .... alcohol 43.6%; 90 proof" Which is it??? Literally one minute on Google reveals evaporation was listed on the label as 43.6%, and it is 45% abv.

Re: Amusing, yet scary...

Originally Posted by miller542

I can see both sides of this, but one of the problems here is the type of people he brings with him and the misinformation they will bring courtesy of his article. If the scotch&icecream rebuttal is correct in that Parker's readers take him at gospel, then HighHorse is right, he owe's his readers an apology. We're already competing with other bourbon lovers for limited supply items enough as it is, we don't need additional competition from people who will be storing their bourbon horizontally in their wine cellar as an investment. Lots of mention of the appearance of the bottle itself and 'image' which I will admit is part of it, but for someone who drinks the stuff inside, taste is what matters most, not how it dresses up your wine cellar.

The review so littered with problems, its hard to know where to start. Another example: "High West Whiskey Campfire I threw this in because this distillery in, of all places, Park City, Utah (better known for skiing than high quality spirits), is apparently a fascinating operation. They make a pre-blended Manhattan that is a killer, but the two whiskies I tried included their least expensive, Campfire....Just about everything I have tasted from High West in Park City, Utah is impressive. "

It is a facinating operation, too bad what you are drinking is not a product of that operation. As with many of the examples in his review, zero mention of the actual source of the product in the bottle. And Campfire is not the least expensive High West product, as if price was relevant in his article.

"Buffalo Trace Eagle Rare Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10-Years Old; 45% alcohol; 90 proof
..... has 45% alcohol, which makes it 90 proof." For the 13th bourbon on the list, I think we've figured out the whole proof thing by now, even without the redundency. But then there's "Buffalo Trace Distillery Experimental Collection 1993 .... alcohol 43.6%; 90 proof" Which is it??? Literally one minute on Google reveals evaporation was listed on the label as 43.6%, and it is 45% abv.

Amusing yet scary indeed.

I dont mean to defend him but in coming from a wine point of view, many wines out there use grapes not grown at that particular winery. When they do and are proud of the results, they will almost always point out that it is a single vineyard wine. I know comparing sourced grapes to sourced whiskey is not apples to apples but it is also not apples to oranges.

Re: Amusing, yet scary...

Originally Posted by P&MLiquorsEric

I dont mean to defend him but in coming from a wine point of view, many wines out there use grapes not grown at that particular winery. When they do and are proud of the results, they will almost always point out that it is a single vineyard wine. I know comparing sourced grapes to sourced whiskey is not apples to apples but it is also not apples to oranges.

I would say that it is apples to oranges. Grapes are not wine. You have to actually make the wine once you get the grapes. BT and WT don't grow their own corn, do they? They source their grain, but they have to actually distill the stuff, just as a winemaker has to make wine from the grapes they source.
(I'm not knocking Perkins, as he's upfront about his blends, but that's what he's doing: Blending finished whiskey.)

Re: Amusing, yet scary...

The point I was trying to make when I said "zero mention of the actual source of the product in the bottle" is the distiller. The list is overwhelmingly Buffalo Trace.

Another thing I noticed that scotch&icecream noted, if the article states "I highly encourage those who don't know how good a sip of bourbon, no ice, can be to check some of the following out." Why create a list filled with a lot of one-off products that aren't even offered anymore or items so limited they "seem to fly off retailers' shelves as quickly as they appear."? I can only get 4 items on the list, and even that is only because I can walk to the High West distillery. And the flavor profile of the items on the list is hardly a great introduction to bourbon, esp to someone who would normally drink wine. Why not start with Buffalo Trace and then move up to Eagle Rare SB/Blantons? Why not start with Makers or Bulleit and then move up to Makers 46 or Bulleit 10yr?

Re: Amusing, yet scary...

The fact remains that Robert Parker is the single most influential wine critic in the world today. His reviews move both prices & product. He has a slavish cult of minions who storm out to purchase cases of wine based on his reviews. The really scary thing is that bourbon is cheap by comparison to high end wines, unknown Napa Valley Cabs with no track record to speak of debut at $100 a bottle. Whereas, with the exception of certain limited production bourbons, the vast majority of high quality bourbon trades between $25 & $75 per bottle. If wine geeks start to realize the value represented in these bottles and acquire a taste for bourbon, well it will be Katy bar the door because the prices we know will be long gone. That's the aspect that worries me, I saw it happen to the Single Malt market & it is under way in the bourbon market as well.

I happen to like Mr. Parker's wine reviews, but usually limit my purchases to the under $15 per bottle realm. In this area Spain has been crushing it of late & 2 of his recent finds, Breca (94 pts /$14) & Besllum (93 pts & $13) are home runs & for that I have to give him his credit due. Most of the wines he reviews are way out of my price points.

Re: Amusing, yet scary...

Originally Posted by David D

Robert Parker on an average day has more of an impact on booze economics than the impact of every blog post ever written, taken from every single blogger since the invention of the internet, added together, and multiplied by 1,000.

Yes and we all know how worthless all those ego-driven bloggers are. The only blogs worth reading are the ones run by retailers.

Re: Amusing, yet scary...

Originally Posted by LostBottle

That was a great article. I think Tim has one of the best booze blogs out there.

I completely agree, that's one of my favorites. To get back on topic, those notes are a complete joke and it's a testament to Parker's ego and how much everybody in the booze industry kisses his ass that those pathetic notes even got published.